Daniel, Week Two

I was supposed to post this Wednesday, but I guess it's better late than never!

Session Two, Daniel 2 (the video): A Dream and a Kingdom

Beth covered Necuchadnezzar's prophetic dream, Daniel's interpretation, and how most of the prophecy has already been fulfilled throughout history. Nebuchadnezzar's dream was of a large statue made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, and iron and clay. Each portion of the statue represented a world empire. Gold represented the Babylonian Empire, silver represented the Medo-Persian Empire, bronze represented the Grecian Empire, and iron represented the Roman Empire. The iron and clay toes may represent a ten-nation confederacy yet to come (and also foretold in Revelation).

Day One: A Royally Troubled Mind

• "Carefully consider Nebuchadnezzar's demand. He wanted his servants to recite the actual content of the dream before they interpreted it. Either Nebuchadnezzar demanded proof of their supernatural ability by requiring the content, or he had forgotten some of the dream. Both explanations are viable." I had never considered the latter possibility!
  
• "Beloved, God knows your details... 'Don't be afraid' (Luke 12:7) You are invaluable to your king."
• Exodus 25:8 "Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them."
• John 1:14 "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us..."
• "Our God will dwell with us until we dwell with him."

Day Two: Urgent Tact, Urgent Prayer

• "A tactful approach doesn't cast a vote of approval. Tact is wisdom, not flattery."
• Leaving a bad taste for Christianity in their [those still lost and searching] mouths is deadly."

Day Three: Praise to the God of Heaven

• "Rule for victorious living: when the stakes are high, bow down low."
• "Trusting someone else's relationship with God to the degree that you'd receive a vital message through him is challenging."
• "The answer to urgent prayer calls for urgent praise!"
• "Dear One, nothing is more appropriate than jumping up and down for joy over answered prayer. Sometimes we confuse humility with timidity. When God comes through for us, a timid and tentative thanks is not only out of place; it's anticlimactic."
• "If we became intentional about noting every single answer to prayer, we'd be astonished by God's attentive faithfulness. Beloved, He answers you affirmatively so much more than you probably realize."

Day Four: From "He" to "You"

• "God's sovereignty means that He has supremacy over all things and does whatever He desires with whomever or whatever He pleases."
• "God's providence is intentional and purposeful."
• "God's Word is eternal. Unaffected by time. Scripture was inspired to be as fresh each passing day as it was the first."
• Daniel 2:20-23 "Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him. I thank you and praise you, O God of my fathers: You have given me wisdom and power, you have made known to me what we asked of you, you have made known to us the dream of the king."

Day Five: Daniel's Interpretation

• This day was a lot of review over the information that she covered during the video in session two (the dream, the interpretation, the statue, etc.).
• Daniel 2:27-28 "Daniel replied, 'No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come..."